There are several lakes surrounding The Holler that provide wonderful places to hike, picnic and birdwatch.
This osprey was vigilant,
intently watching the lake for her next meal (despite the feather stuck on her beak.)
Bald eagles are congregating in greater numbers around Holler lakes,
which thrills me to no end, because they were almost wiped out locally, and I went decades without seeing them here.
Brewer’s Blackbirds are common at The Holler. They are very friendly birds and often eat out of my son’s hands.
Ring necked ducks were on the lake in force,
resting from migration.
The area around The Holler burned extensively in 2007, destroying 1000’s of homes and extensive habitat. You can see the progress of regrowth and the burned trees on the horizon.
Cheers to you from beautiful, burning, California, my native state~
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Beautiful 😘
Thanks so much and cheers to you!
🌹🎉🎉
Underbar plats med fina fåglar. Är de vanliga att se örnarna? Du har en Gudagåva där att njuta av.
//Dan
Tack! Örnarna var praktiskt taget utdöda på detta område i många årtionden medan jag växte upp. Biologer uppfödde och återinförde dem och nu har vi blomstrande befolkningar som är en glädje att se.
Once again you have brought sensational photos, dear Cindy. The osprey is a very proud animal. Great also the duck and the colors and of course the landscapes. 🙂
Kind regards Alexander
I so appreciate your very thoughtful comments. Thank you & cheers to you!
I took a picture of an osprey on our 30+ acre lake (in a tree). Unusual to see in our neck of the woods but oh so beautiful. Didn’t realize what I took until I blew the picture up. Doesn’t compare to your pictures but it was a special moment for us 🙂
Ospreys are gorgeous creatures and a thrill to see every time. I am glad you had an opportunity to photograph one.
Beautiful images. The birds are amazing. So glad to see the regrowth from the 2007 fires.
Thank you. It is wonderful to see the resiliency of nature.
Beautiful post! We are certainly praying for all those affected by the fires but are so grateful to see what the rebirth can look like down the road.
Life triumphs, which is wonderful to see.
These wonderful photographs bring us right there! They are outstanding.
You are a very thoughtful friend <3
These images are gorgeous, Cindy, I especially love the osprey…so majestic.
The holler is a magical place – makes me smile to think of you there.
And I’m so worried over the misunderstandings around global warming and what it is doing to our world and all that inhabit it. Lives lost in California…tragic.
You are a kind soul Sheila. Thank you. None of us will be able to avoid the effects of changing climatic patterns and I share your worries and concerns Sheila <3
Beautiful photos as always. I am wondering, where is the Holler?
Thanks much. The Holler is in an unincorporated, rural area northeast of San Diego County.
Let’s hope you stay safe from all the fires out there.
Much appreciated Nadia, thank you!
Incredibly sharp and beautiful images, Cindy! Truly impressive especially the one of the bald eagle! Hopefully the fires we hear about will soon be extinguished. Have a great Sunday!
I hear rain is on the horizon for NoCal. It cannot come soon enough. Thank you for your thoughtfulness Peter.
I love the close up of the eagle, Cindy. What a majestic bird. My heart goes out to all of those who are dealing with the devastating fires. 🙁
It is horrifying to be in the midst of a catastrophe like this and I feel terrible for them and for my state <3
Gorgeous regal birds and so beautifully photographed Cindy. We are thinking of the beautiful state of California and the devastation is heartbreaking. Following everyday from here in Florida !
Thank you. Your kindness is much appreciated.
beautiful birds, especially the osprey.
There are gorgeous creatures aren’t they.
Beautiful Cindy, following the devastating fires closely from here in Florida, heartbreaking!
Thank you for caring. It is heartbreaking <3
So surreal…tragic! <3
<3
Great pictures. The fires are terrible and it is so sad what is being destroyed. Hope there is an end to it soon!
Yes, all the loss of life and habitat is devastating, and there is so much forest left to burn, if things don’t change.
I love your bird photos. I am including birds in my next book, Amanda in Malta, particularly endangered species.
Ooooh, sounds interesting!
So much beauty at The Holler, Cindy — no wonder you love it so! Glad to see that restoration is taking place and I hope the fires are out soon.
Thank you Debbie for your kind wishes <3
Beautiful photos. I often get good shots of osprey, but rarely get a closeup of an eagle. Or ducks (other than mallards) as they are too leery of hunters around here to let humans close.
Thank you. I hear you. It is a challenge isn’t it. I think it makes bird photography quite difficult, but then so rewarding, when a bird lets you get close.
It is rewarding. And you have been rewarded with a lot of great photos!
<3 <3
Your birds are magnificent, especially the Eagle. Hope you are faring well through all the fires. Our son is in Carlsbad and they are o.k.there.
Yes. We are okay so far too. My daughter and her newborns are being affected by the smoke. As long as California remains in drought, every place is at risk.
Nice close ups of the birds, Cindy.
Leslie
Thank you & glad you enjoyed!
I always enjoy your posts Cindy.
Leslie 🙂
As I enjoy yours~
<3
Beautiful, Cindy. We experienced terrible fires in BC during the summer and fall. I hope yours are out soon.
Thank you. They are horrifying aren’t they. They have such overwhelming power. It is so sad to think of all that old growth in BC burning up.
I love the ring necked duck photos on the water particularly.
Thank you! I was thrilled to see them as I never had before.
It’s always amazing to see the difference a bit of water can make to an area. The hills may be parched, but the lower areas that have access to water are lush.
So true. I really enjoy hiking and being outdoors more when there is water around. It is so soothing on the eyes and spirit.
It sure is! Think of how beautiful so much of the parched land could be if there were more water available. And up here we have too much. I’d gladly send some rain down.
I think of this all the time when I travel and places are being overwhelmed by rain!
Just think if the Sahara had half of our winter rain. Hawaii could share too. They get lots.
Glad you guys came through your fires intact, but what’s going on now is so terrible. Doesn’t bode well for the future.
Thank you, and no, these changes in weather patterns do not bode well for the future.
Beautiful images, Cindy. Regrowth from fire may be a slow process, but there is such promise in Nature’s ability to regenerate, a faith that anchors belief in tomorrow.
Beautifully said, and very true <3
We have the Brewer Blackbirds here and I wondered what they were 🙂
Great shots!
They are very friendly birds. If you leave food for them, they will become your friends.
They’re beautiful. That blue/black coloring against glowing gold eyes is stunning!
<3 <3
Your eagle image is magnificent!
Awww, thank you Peter. I hope all is well with you and your wife <3
Thank you, Cindy. Marian has had five good weeks since her surgery, eating more challenging foods each week. So far so good! She is greatly encouraged. She is also looking forward to our Feb cruise! Thanksgiving will bring both sons and wives out from NYC, and they will cook!! Blessings on your family gatherings.
Sounds wonderful!!! Great news! And I am so happy about the cruise.
The birds are gorgeous. I’m very happy to see the area regrowing. Yes, California seems to be burning down. It appears to worsen annually… and then the mud slides. I’m no scientist, but I think I see the fingerprint of climate change on this situation.
I was sent to do a meet and greet with Charles Bronson, years ago, when I was doing the costume designs for “Family of Cops III. He lived in Malibou. I was so impressed with the beauty and the vibe of the place. His ranch home was spectacular. I wonder if it’s still there?
Yes, living all my life in one region allows one to observe the differences over time. California is drying up. There are still about 1000 people missing in NoCal which is devastating to even think of. I have been evacuated in fires like these and their power and speed, driven by Santa Ana winds is terrifying.
I would love to hike there and come by for a drink afterward.
I hope some day you visit and we can do just that!
I would love that and I know it would be more than one drink. 🙂
Looking forward to you!
The Osprey, Eagle, and duck images are beautiful! It’s good to see the vegetation coming back.
Thanks much. The old growth trees of course are lost forever.
Great bird photos. We were talking to a couple in the bosque last night about how we haven’t seen the bald eagles this year, but we have had a lot of osprey this year.
We had devastating fires in New Mexico during many summers over the past 18 years. Fortunately, New Mexico is sparsely populated compared to California, so we have not had so many structures destroyed as in the California fires. However, Los Alamos lost most of their historic Manhattan Project housing in one of the controlled burns that got quickly out of control in 2000. Then another fire followed by flash floods took out the Dixon Apple orchards south of Los Alamos in 2011. Dixon had famous apples and had been in business for something like 75 years before the fire and flood. Most of the out of control fires out here were due to mismanagement of the forests, and the Forest Service trying to do controlled burns in dry, windy conditions — Like HELLO!
There is a constant fight between people who don’t want any of the underbrush cut out of the bosque along the Rio Grande where we walk daily, and the need to have it selectively cut. Getting the right people to cut the underbrush here in Corrales has been an issue as well. If we allow the Conservancy to cut underbrush, they will clear cut everything, and if we leave the underbrush and it catches fire, a bosque fire spreads really fast because the underbrush is great tinder, and cottonwoods are soft and porous so they burn really fast and super hot. There has been recent efforts to have the boy scouts, fire crews and prisoners working to create fire breaks in the bosque without clear cutting, and leaving some areas with thick underbrush for the birds.
I know New Mexico has issues with water too and there is rationing in some areas. Living in drought conditions is painful for those of us who love nature to see. The losses in these fires are going to be the most devastating yet for California. We face the same controversies you mention at The Holler. A bond passed recently to build another fire station. There was no funding in it for brush abatement, which made me almost want to not vote for it. There are so many orchards in The Holler that have been left to die because people cannot afford to irrigate them. They sit here like tinder waiting to explode. But, hey we will have a shiny new fire station. I hear, and relate, to your frustration. Huge amounts of effort need to be put into prevention.
What a grand place to rest one’s mind and spirit, and savor Mother nature.
There is lots of nature here, and open spaces, and wild critters, and very few people. It suits me well and sounds like it would suit you too <3
The bald eagle was beautiful especially, along with everything else!
Thank you. They are such regal and imperial birds.
Beautiful images Cindy, I especially love how you capture the facial expressions and personalities of the birds – thank you so much for sharing xxx
Thank you much more for such kind appreciation <3
The bald eagle knows something that we humans have yet to learn.
You can tell it everytime they make eye contact, “foolish human,” they seem to be thinking, and who can blame them?
Bald eagles are so magnificent. That black duck is really awesome too. 🙂
There seems to be lots of exotic ducks here this winter. I wonder if the fires have anything to do with this.
Maybe. 😕
Gorgeous shots as usual, Cindy – of magnificent birds. The fires now are frightening, I often think of the horror people must fear if the fire comes closer. Poor families who have lost someone.
Extremely traumatic situation for everyone close to the situation including the responders.
♥
Thank you for sharing the shots of the birds, some of them are scary looking, I pity the crow perched there, he might become the next meal. 🙁
Raptors are formidable predators. Luckily for the blackbird, these guys prefer fish, and will likely leave the birdies alone. Cheers to you my friend <3
Beautiful scenery and birds. I love the bald eagle!
Aren’t they gorgeous creatures. I am thrilled every time I see one!
Great stuff. I like the penultimate photo especially.
For some reason I love photos of paths into nature. It seems like an invitation to me. I am glad you enjoyed. Thank you!
Wow!!! Fantastic shots of these birds. They are awesome!
You are a very kind friend.
Great photos. You are one of the best at shooting birds, in a nice way! My friends’ RSF home burned to the ground in that fire. They have since rebuilt.
Horrifying. We evacuated. So much devastation. And you look at the state, and you see it waiting for more.
Beautiful birds, Cindy. So sad about the fires, and what they do to wildlife as well as people. At least the birds can fly away. –Curt
It is awful. Birds get confused by the smoke though. I do think the fires are why there are so many exotic ducks on local lakes. They are flying in confusion and land on available water.
I really hadn’t thought about that, Cindy. They may have had to abandon some of their favorite lakes as well.
Sad.
Wonderful avian shots, Cindy! 🙂
Honored, thank you.
Stunning! I just love every single post you publish! It’s heartbreaking to see all the destruction of the fires, but I’m also heartened to see that life does return to those areas, just like where you are.
What’s happening in your state is horrible – therefore even more reason to enjoy this post.
Awww, thank you!
Stunning! Really beautiful.
Very happy you enjoyed & thank you!
I am glad you are safe
Hugs to you Eunice <3
Stay safe we have much to be thankful for this year.
<3 <3
Beautiful scenery and wildlife. I certainly hope and pray that you’re not in the line of fire for these current flames. Stay safe.
Thank you Linda. My daughter and her newborn preemie twins are in the smoke affected area, but so far no fires at The Holler, although lots of dry tinder and no rain in sight here. Rain is forecast for NorCal on Tuesday night which will be a Godsend.
Sending prayers for your daughter and her twins. And I do hope that rain came. I haven’t been very good at keeping up lately. 🤗💕
The rain did come, cleaning the air and putting out the fires for new year! Thank you Linda & cheers my friend <3